Blackpink's Rose and Bruno Mars' 'APT' sparks surge in related stocks

Blackpink’s Rose is making waves with her latest single, “APT,” a collaboration with American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, which is not only topping global music charts around the world but also boosting related stock prices.

South Korea’s leading soju maker, HiteJinro, saw its stock price climb by 6 percent to 21,200 won ($15.26) on Thursday, marking its biggest gain since February. Trading volume surged past one million shares -- over eight times the previous day’s volume --reflecting heightened investor interest.

The sudden surge is attributed to Rose’s promotional video for the new song with Vogue magazine, in which she demonstrates how to make somaek, a popular mix of soju and beer, featuring the company’s Chamisul Original soju.

In the clip, Rose carefully mixes the Korean soju with Belgian beer to create the cocktail, describing it as making “the beer a little more alcoholic.” She added that it’s her favorite drink when playing a popular Korean drinking game known as the “Apartment Game,” which inspired her song.

The video has already garnered 2.9 million views in just five days as fans are eager to learn about Korean drinking culture. With the added spotlight on Korea’s unique drinking traditions, thanks to Rose’s song, Korean liquor companies are expected to enjoy further boosts.

The song "APT" has also driven up shares of YG Plus, the local media company distributing the track, with stocks rallying for five consecutive days. On Friday, YG Plus shares closed at 6,070 won on the local bourse, up 5.57 percent from the previous day and marking a 126.49 percent jump since Oct. 18, the day the track was released.

Since the song’s debut, YG Plus shares have neared the daily upper limit of 30 percent each day on Monday and Tuesday. The continuing popularity of the song is expected to drive share prices in coming days.

Since the song's debut last Friday, the catch song is sweeping charts globally. The music video for the track has attracted 134 million views as of Friday afternoon, marking the biggest male-female duet debut of 2024. The song immediately topped major Korean music streaming platforms, including Melon, Genie and Bugs.

The song also climbed No. 4 on the Apple Music US pop charts, marking the highest ranked song by a K-pop soloist. The song also topped Spotify's Global Top 50 chart, making Rose the first Korean female soloist to achieve the feat.